Curry is enjoyed as a spicy meal in India and other countries. The yellow
color of curry is due to the addition of the pigment curcumin.
For centuries, curcumin has been used in traditional Indian medicine to
treat inflammation and help wound healing.

Recent experiments show that curcumin is an "antioxidant." Antioxidants
are used by the body to fight free radicals. Free radicals are produced
when cells convert oxygen to energy. A few free radicals are not
dangerous, but too many can damage cell membranes, proteins and DNA. This
may kill the cell. One theory proposes that too many free radicals are
responsible for the problems associated with aging.

Elderly people in India appear to have low rates of Alzheimer's disease. Could eating food high in curcumin
reduce the risk of this brain disorder? Could curcumin prevent
Alzheimer's disease or even treat people who suffer from this disease?

The brains of people with Alzheimer's disease have unusual plaques and
tangles. The plaques are mainly composed of a protein called beta amyloid.
These tangles and plaques interfere with neuronal functions, such as
communicating with each other and sending messages to other parts of the
body. In a paper published in The Journal of Biological Chemistry
(February, 2005), researchers showed that curcumin can prevent the
formation of amyloid fibers in test tube experiments. They went further
in their investigation by raising mice on a diet that included curcumin.
Mice that ate the curcumin diet had fewer beta amyloid proteins in their
brain than mice fed a normal diet. Even when the curcumin diet started
when the mice were old, beta amyloid protein was reduced.

These results suggest that curcumin may decrease the risk for Alzheimer's
disease and may be used to treat people who already have symptoms of the
disease. Further research is necessary to determine the proper dose of
curcumin and to see if curcumin prevents and reverses the cognitive
problems associated with Alzheimer's disease.